The X Factor continued the nationwide audition phase on Wednesday night with stops in Providence, Rhode Island, Greensboro, and San Francisco.
As the auditions continued, it was a packed X Factor night that included the return of familiar faces, an appearance by Gene Simmons of KISS who turned up to support his daughter Sophie, and even more hysterical outbursts from contestants who just couldn’t take no for an answer.
Did Simon, Britney, Demi, and L.A. find the next winner of The X Factor?
Here’s the breakdown of what happened on Wednesday night’s X Factor:
Rhode Island
The fifth night of auditions started shaky in Providence as several singers got cut. Since the judges were so frustrated, the good ones were still waiting in the wings.
Finally, 15-year-old Dinah Jane Hansen hit the stage to perform Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy”. L.A. Reid was so impressed that he even told her, “you took that thing to places that even Beyoncé didn’t take it!”
The next performer, 16-year old Arin Ray, returned to The X Factor after getting cut last season. With an original song, Ray easily had the audience on his side before the judges put him through to the next round. It was clear last night that Arin has the potential to be a huge breakout star even if he doesn’t win The X Factor.
Greensboro
In Greensboro, 16-year old Austin Corini had girls screaming before he hit the stage. After singing “Wanted” by Hunter Hayes, Austin went through to bootcamp but got some sound advice from the judges, especially Simon who told Corini to work on his voice more than his looks.
Other notables included Nick Youngerman, who sang Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice, Baby”. David Correy made an emotional impression with his rendition of the Bruno Mars hit, “Just the Way You Are”.
San Francisco
In San Francisco the judges got a celebrity surprise when Sophie Tweed-Simmons stepped onto the stage. That’s right, Gene Simmons’ baby girl admitted that she wanted to step out from under her father’s shadow to sing on her own. Her performance of Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love” (which Sophie mistakenly credited to Adele) wasn’t spectacular but she did get the deciding “yes” from Simon to make it into bootcamp.
As for this week’s X Factor villain, vocal coach Tara Simon got jealously snippy when Sophie made it through. Still, she did have enough singing chops to impress the judges with the David Guetta and Usher hit “Without You”. Given her jealous streak, there’s a good chance voters could turn on her unless she finds a way to impress people at home.
As the auditions continued, Daryl Black turned out to be a breath of fresh vocal air with “Stereo Love” by the Gym Class Heroes. Boy, did Daryl ever make it his own. Even Simon Cowell had high praise for Black. “If you’re smart and do something that’s unique,” said Cowell, “and different from everybody else, there’s a place for you.”
When it came to X Factor drama, Wednesday night produced one medical emergency. 13-year old Trevor Moran nearly passed out backstage after fooling around before his audition. So what happened to Trevor? We don’t know. The only answers fans received at the end of the show were an ambulance siren and the words “To Be Continued.”
What did you think of the Wednesday night’s auditions on The X Factor?